[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5461 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5461

To enhance homeland security by encouraging the development of regional 
      comprehensive emergency preparedness and coordination plans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2002

Mr. Kingston (for himself, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Tom Davis of 
  Virginia, and Mr. Lewis of Kentucky) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To enhance homeland security by encouraging the development of regional 
      comprehensive emergency preparedness and coordination plans.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Regional Comprehensive Emergency 
Preparedness, Coordination, and Recovery Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Responders to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade 
        Center, the Pentagon, and the tragedy in Pennsylvania on 
        September 11, 2001, from numerous jurisdictions assisted the 
        fire and rescue workers responsible for responding within their 
        jurisdictions.
            (2) Even in the largest municipality, first responders need 
        the support of local elected officials and neighboring 
        jurisdictions, as well as support from numerous regional, 
        State, Federal, and private sector entities.
            (3) The sheer number of agencies taking part in any 
        emergency response demands coordination, mutual support, and 
        effective communication. Regional planning and coordination of 
        response efforts are essential to ensure the least loss of life 
        and damage to property.
            (4) Regional councils of governments, regional planning 
        commissions, and development districts have the accountability 
        and experience necessary to coordinate comprehensive regional 
        plans that encompass the needs of the Federal, State, and local 
        governments, the private sector, and all other parties with a 
        stake in providing for the security of their communities. 
        Regional councils of government can ensure the development of a 
        coordinated emergency preparedness and recovery plan involving 
        Federal, State, and local governments and the private sector.
            (5) Coordinated, area-wide training, equipment acquisition, 
        and recovery planning is essential for effective regional 
        preparedness and mitigation.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to encourage and 
facilitate the development and implementation of regional emergency 
preparedness and coordination plans among Federal, State, and local 
governments and the private sector within the region and to facilitate 
preparedness and mitigation efforts.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``region'' means a designated 
        multijurisdictional planning area or a sub-State district with 
        boundaries established by State law or through mutual agreement 
        of local governments.
            (2) The term ``regional council'' means a multipurpose 
        association of governments in a planning region, including 
        councils of governments, regional planning commissions, and 
        area development districts.
            (3) The term ``local government'' means any city, county, 
        or township within the United States.
            (4) The term ``State'' means any of the 50 States, the 
        District of Columbia, or any territory of the United States.
            (5) The term ``stakeholder'' means Federal, State, local, 
        private, and nonprofit entities, including, but not limited 
        to--
                    (A) local elected officials;
                    (B) local State emergency management agencies;
                    (C) local fire and rescue personnel;
                    (D) health professionals;
                    (E) local school representatives;
                    (F) college and university representatives;
                    (G) the business community;
                    (H) port and airport officials;
                    (I) utilities;
                    (J) State departments of transportation; and
                    (K) other individuals and entities identified by 
                the stakeholders.
            (6) The term ``regional plan'' means a regional emergency 
        preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery plan.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO COORDINATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL EMERGENCY 
              PREPAREDNESS, COORDINATION, AND RECOVERY PLANS.

    (a) In General.--The regional councils as defined in section 3(2) 
shall--
            (1) convene all local governments, Federal, State, and 
        private sector interests within a region to coordinate the 
        development of emergency preparedness, response, mitigation, 
        and recovery plans for the entire region; and
            (2) convene all stakeholders within the region.
    (b) Elements of the Regional Plan.--The emergency response plan 
required to be developed under subsection (a) shall include, at a 
minimum--
            (1) an assessment of potential targets for destruction;
            (2) an assessment of available equipment and manpower to 
        respond to a disaster;
            (3) an assessment of equipment needs;
            (4) establishment of a regional communication system among 
        stakeholders;
            (5) establishment of a secure information repository that 
        includes information needed, as necessary, to coordinate 
        stakeholder responsibilities within the region; and
            (6) information on the following:
                    (A) Response resources.--
                            (i) Locations, contacts, capabilities, and 
                        capacities of emergency medical facilities.
                            (ii) Locations, contacts, and equipment 
                        listings for fire, police, and emergency 
                        medical technician services.
                            (iii) Locations of, and 24-hour contacts 
                        for, appropriate medical facilities and 
                        personnel and other potential first responders.
                            (iv) Locations and contacts for area 
                        stakeholders involved in the operation and 
                        maintenance of essential services within the 
                        region.
                            (v) Locations and contacts for area key 
                        military personnel and facilities.
                    (B) Support facilities.--
                            (i) Locations, capabilities, and capacities 
                        of existing shelters.
                            (ii) Locations of, and available facilities 
                        at, schools, colleges, universities, churches, 
                        and other public buildings.
                            (iii) Locations of major water and food 
                        supplies.
                    (C) Infrastructure.--
                            (i) Locations of water treatment and 
                        storage facilities and distribution mains.
                            (ii) Locations of utilities lines, 
                        pipelines, and generating facilities.
                            (iii) Locations of sewer mains and 
                        treatment plants.
                            (iv) Locations of voice, data, video, 
                        microwave, and satellite uplink communication 
                        facilities.
                            (v) Locations of radio and television 
                        studios and transmission sites.
                            (vi) Locations and capacities of shortwave 
                        radio facilities and volunteers.
                            (vii) Locations of major bridges and dams.
                            (viii) Locations of major educational 
                        facilities.
                    (D) Transportation facilities.--
                            (i) Locations and capacities of major 
                        transportation facilities, lines, and 
                        terminals, including ports and airports.
                            (ii) Locations and capacities of local and 
                        regional transportation routes.
                    (E) At-risk populations.--
                            (i) Locations of large population 
                        concentrations and the times of those 
                        concentrations.
                            (ii) Schedules of major public events and 
                        capacities of venues.
                            (iii) Population statistics, including 
                        block level population data.
                            (iv) School enrollment numbers.
                            (v) Locations of elderly, infirm, and 
                        disabled persons who need special assistance.
                    (F) Potential targets.--
                            (i) Locations of major concentrations of 
                        hazardous and biohazard chemicals.
                            (ii) Locations of fuel depots and 
                        dispensing facilities which meet certain 
                        Environmental Protection Agency thresholds.
                            (iii) Locations of major concentrations of 
                        munitions and explosives.
                            (iv) Locations of other potential targets, 
                        such as nuclear power plants, in the region.
                    (G) Debris disposal.--
                            (i) Identification of locations for debris 
                        disposal.
                            (ii) Identification of potential health 
                        hazards to personnel involved in debris 
                        disposal.
    (c) Planning Activities.--Planning activities pursuant to this 
section shall include analyzing and documenting the possibility of a 
disaster and the potential consequences or impacts upon life, property, 
and the environment and planning for utilization of Geographic 
Information Systems, to assess hazards and evaluate the consequences of 
potential emergencies or disasters.
    (d) Approval of Regional Plan.--The plan shall be approved by the 
designated regional planning agency's governing body and Governor or 
Governors not later than the date that is 12 months after the 
designated agency has received an initial planning grant under this 
Act.
    (e) Update of Regional Plan.--The regional plan shall be reviewed 
annually and updated as needed, based on revised threat assessments, 
trainings, and drills.
    (f) Security of Mapping and Infrastructure Information Contained 
Within Regional Plan.--(1) For security purposes, the information 
contained in the regional plan required under subsection (b)(5) shall 
be available only to those public and private officials and agencies 
that have responsibility under such plan.
    (2) Computer and software technology shall be required for securing 
the key resources and critical infrastructure that may be outlined 
within the regional plan.
    (3) It shall be necessary to seek the appropriate measures to 
protect the key resources and critical infrastructure within each 
region in coordination with other agencies and representatives from 
within the region including Federal, State, and local government 
personnel, agencies and authorities, the private sector, and other 
entities.
    (4) It shall be necessary to continue to review and analyze and 
make recommendations for improvements in the policies and procedures 
governing the security of this information and sharing it with law 
enforcement, intelligence, emergency management, and other entities 
related to homeland security within the Federal Government and between 
such representatives within the region, including Federal, State, and 
local government personnel agencies, authorities, and the private 
sector.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--From the amounts appropriated to Federal or State 
agencies for emergency preparedness and homeland security, an amount of 
not less than three percent shall be allocated to the Department of 
Homeland Security, or other agency designated by Congress, for the 
preparation, review, and update of regional plans required by this Act. 
Such funds shall be allocated to designated regional councils for the 
purposes set forth in this Act.
    (b) Formula.--Allocations to regions shall be according to a 
formula that takes into account the population of a region, base 
amounts necessary to prepare a regional plan, vulnerability to 
catastrophic events, and the presence of facilities of State or 
national significance.
    (c) Consistency.--Funding from Federal agencies for local, 
regional, or State projects for emergency preparedness, response, 
recovery, or mitigation shall require consistency with regional plans.
                                 <all>